Essay #2 Instructions: Argument Synthesis _
Topic: The Value of Higher Education Required length: 4 pages minimum (about 1200 words).
Background:One of our goals in this course is to examine our assumptions, to analyze those institutions and ideologies we inhabit but rarely think critically about. With that in mind, our attention turns to an institution we all have a stake in—higher education. Every one of us in English 110 has sacrificed something to be in college. We are all working hard because we envision our success or fulfillment as somehow connected to the achievement of a college degree. But why exactly? Today, a college degree is associated with achievement and stability, ability and intelligence. Yet how often do we ask whether a higher education actually provides those things? Are there other benefits we typically don’t think about? Can the college experience ever do harm? In this unit, you will work to uncover what you think the real value of a higher education is and mold your findings into a persuasive argument.Main Task:Write an essay that makes a claim about the value of higher education and persuades the reader this claim is valid. To support your position, employ strong argumentation strategies and synthesize ideas from at least two assigned texts as well as an interview you will conduct with someone who has completed his or her college education.
Focus Questions: It is sometimes helpful to think of an argument as a response to an important question. Consider developing your essay as a response to one of the questions below.
- How can higher education benefit individuals, communities, families, and/or society as a whole?
- How can higher education do harm, or fail to provide what individuals and/or society expect from it?
Evidence: Three quotations are required.Quote and correctly cite resources from this unit at least three times in this essay. Your quoted or paraphrased sources should include, at minimum, the following: 1) An assigned reading; 2) A second, different assigned reading; 3) The college graduate interview you conduct.*Other very useful forms of evidence include your own observations and experiences as well asideas generated in class discussion and group work.
Essay Two Goals:Below are the writing and thinking skills you should be aiming to demonstrate in Essay Two. These goals will also be incorporated into the grading criteria for the essay.
1. The introduction engages and prepares the reader,establishing the context or general debate you are entering into.
2. The thesis clearly communicates your contribution to that debate, providing a clear, compelling argument and previewing the support for that argument.
3. The essaysynthesizes the ideas of published authors, as well as the interview you conduct, in order to successfullyprove the claim made in the thesis.
4. All of the proof paragraphs have a clear connection to the thesis, creating a unified essay.
5. Each of the proof paragraphs has a topic sentence that previews the content of the paragraph and evidence that proves the claim made in the topic sentence. Each proof paragraph also includes analysis of the evidence and an explanation ofhow the evidence proves the point made in the topic sentence. (Effective use of the P.I.E strategy.)
6. The essay engages and refutes a position that opposes your own.
7. The conclusion answers the question, “so what?” It explains the “big picture” implications of your argument.
8. The essay is carefully proofread and edited. Itis mostly free of grammatical and mechanical errors, and employs the sentence writing and editing strategies covered in Unit One and Unit Two.
9. The essay demonstrates your thorough understanding of at least two published texts.
10. The essay uses MLA-style in-text citations.
11. The essay integrates at least three quotations with rhetorical effectiveness.
12. The essay is original, creative, and thoughtful, demonstrating the critical reading and thinking skills practiced throughout the unit. It effectively persuades the reader.
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